Does it sound professional to you?

I listened to "This Side Down."

Good and powerful distorted guitar sound. But that was almost all I could hear. There were some drums and vox but they're really getting covered up by the guitars.

There might be a good vocalist behind that (I suspect there is). Maybe some good lyrics too. I'd recommend working on peeling back some of that guitar by pulling back the levels and EQing out some lows and low mids. Give the other instruments and vox a chance to come through.

I may have heard a clip or two (very minor though).

My thoughts. Trip...
 
I listened to the same tune. I liked it. Kicked ass. But like TripM. said the guitars drown out the rest of the instruments and vox. I'd love to hear a remix, very cool tune.
 
No, this sound like the sound font's and overly processed stuff it is.

No depth.

Guitars are all over the mix, and I suspect that that tone will not hold up well once you turn them down.

Drums sound phoney as hell.

Remixed to sound balanced, it would be a decent sounding demo for getting gigs.

Cannot really comment much on the song and/or arrangement as about the only thing I could hear clearly is the guitars.

Ed
 
Listened to all the samples.The guitars are overpowering the vocals and drums.The drums sound weeeeeak.What kind of drum sequencing are using?The samples are really weak.They need a lot more ass to hang with the heavy guitars...
 
Mr. Ins@ne said:
This was all homemade with almost no real equiment.
Click to expand...
I noticed....

Just production "know-hows" and tricks, software and plug-ins
Click to expand...
I'd say you need more "know-how", and less tricks.

About the only thing that works is the guitar...

The drums are thin-and fake-sounding - especially the cymbals....

There aren't any hints of dynamics at all...

Bass is just an indistinct drone... as is the kick....

And you've buried the vocals completely....


So to answer your question -- No, it doesn't sound professional... like I said, more know-how and less tricks will get you further... keep at it!
 
I tend to agree with most of you actually. But the point was to make a good soundscape with almost none equipment. Obviously, there's a lot to fix.

About the drums:

The drums were played and not sequenced, but I used Roland TD-10 drumkit and module. And that's pretty much the only "top" equipment I own. They sound "thick & thin", I agree. But they rule for home, or bedroom productions. And when you listen to the whole sound together, you have a near-professional sound without having expensive mics, compressors, gates and shit.

About the guitars:

Yeah, they sound okay to me. Above all they sound "big" and that was what I intended them to sound like. You have to keep in mind that they were all recorded direct to the V-amp II and then to Mx802 (both behringer). No mics whatsoever. When you say that they are loud or too much present, you have to question the kind of soundings the band wants to achieve. If I had it a little lower, the whole sound would be less heavy. And I want something really full and..."in your face", concerning distortion and guitars.

About the vocals:

They were recorded inside my closet (no kidding). And I think lots of people/ producers tend to over-value vocals and like to put them as much in front of the whole mix as possible. I like them blend and "drifting" in the mix. That's the point of the whole band.

Furthermore, I'm no genious and I'm still learning. Everybody is. Thanks for all the advices and comments. I'm more than willing to reply to them.

Remember, this was a low-cost production with the cheapest equipment ever (except for the drumkit). I don't know about you, but I know lots of so-called professional studios with thousands of dollars in equipment and sometimes the productions the come outta there trully compromise the equipment...

Honestly, this is a first demo/release from the band, and it sounds professional enough to me.

Rem@in Ins@ne

www.spiralsektor.com
 
Guitar sounds good to me for a home job. Professional...no. The mix needs a lot of work. Especially bringing out the vocals. And yes, some of the drum sounds are a bit cheezy sounding (especially cymbals as was mentioned above) and definitely too far back in the mix. I shouldn't talk...my drum sounds are all midi...but you do with what you have. I think I hear some good music and potentially some great vocals buried beneath the guitars somewhere. THE VOCALS NEED TO COME OUT MORE!!!!!11!!11! Did the guitar player mix this? ;) :D.

You would do well to listen to these guys. They know of what they speak. I think you've got a great start here.
 
Well, you asked if it sound professional, and nobody thinks so except you.

What it lacks is definition, guts, depth, and cohesion. Vague statements? Indeed. :D

Cool that you are happy with it though. I personally wouldn't release something so badly mixed for ANY reason.

Ed
 
You are so mean! :(

Well, maybe my mistake was to judge the sound in comparison with my country's reality. I mean, if you take a close look at almost all releases from here (and I'm referring to FIRST releases from bands, be it demos or eps) they all have that demo sound with lots of reverbs and raw vocals. I dunno if you can picture it. When I say "it sounds professional" is because it does sound professional compared to some cds from other bands recorded in professional studios. It would get a lot better if I had the possibility to take it to Sterling for instance and do a "real" master, since this was mastered on Cool Edit.

Jagular asked if the guitar-player mixed it. No, I did. And not only I did mix it, but I also played it (I kinda suck as a guitar player, I know). When something is played, recorded, produced, and mixed by just one person, the work can't be perfect. But - as I said before - I'm confident and I can find merit in a work like this in general.

To Mr. Blue Bear Sounds: You should relax man, we are sharing ideas here, not finding a way to pull each others down. You don't need to be so caustic. If you think I over-value my work...well, maybe that's natural 'cause I did it all alone, and you should know that it isn't an easy task. Maybe you're eating to much tacos and burritos. If you don't like it, great! I never did with the ideia of getting into everyone's likes. If one guy says he liked it, it's enough for me.

Thanks to those who could see somewhat beyond the "super-ego" and enjoyed the music in itself.

Rem@in Ins@ne

http://www.spiralsektor.com
 
For the record, I said "good and powerful guitars" because I always like to say something positive about a mix. Usually there is at least some aspect of a song that is worth complimenting. But your guitars are completely dominating the mix throughout the entire range of the audible spectrum. Something substantial (like retracking) would need to be done to it for it to sound professional.

Part of learning is taking to heart what people are saying. My recommendation to you would be to do that (or at least more of it).

I see that you're new, so you might not be aware... Blue Bear and sonusman are pros. Literally. They don't comment all that often in the Clinic, so it's actually fortunate for you that they gave you their thoughts. What you'll do with that advice is up to you.

Trip...
 
[ rant=on ]

Mr. Insanity. This forum is a clinic. It is a place where you come to expose your mixes to the world so people can come and give you their opinions on what's wrong with them. Hopefully you can use some of the information to help learn your craft and improve them.

You can chose to listen to some opinions, ignore others, or generally do with the information whatever you wish. But if you are looking to have smoke blown up your ass, you are in the wrong place.

You may not like the responses you get, or even agree with them, but generally the people here give fairly honest comments - and that is really all you can ask for. Some of these opinions are more educated than others, and if you stick around long enough you will figure out which are which. However, personally I find I can learn from all of them - educated or not.

Ultimately I am the final arbiter of my own music. If someone tells me the drums are too loud, and I don't agree, they stay the way they are. That doesn't make that person's opinion invalid. That's the way he heard it. I am thankful for the input, but choose not to use it.

If you think your mixes already sound professional, there is no reason to post them here. You obviously don't need any help.

On the other hand, if you think you can still learn a few things, then stick around.

And, BTW, this here is a two way street. I noticed you came here with 5 posts to your name asking for comments on your music. How about listening and commenting on someone else's material first. Particularly since you allegedly already know how to make professional mixes, I'm sure we can all learn a lot from you.

[ /rant ]
 
Very good rant, dachay2tnr! I agree 100%. And it's a good summary of what this board is all about, whatsoever.

I have yet to lisen to Mr. Ins@ne's music, btw...will respond later.

Wow man, you've got Sonusman & Blue Bear Sound responding to your music! At a friggin' post count of only 5! Mr Ins@ne, you should swallow some of your ego and listen these guys. They know what they're talking about...it doesn't hurt to learn from other people, you know? There's a reason why they are pros, and you are not. And hey, it might even improve your mixes! :eek:
 
This is not a genre which I understand or appreciate but strictly from the recording quality my opinion is that.

1) though a track may be just right by itself when put in a mix it will suffer from various instruments sharing same frequencies and tonal characteristics. One part can neutralize another or turn it to a muddy sound lacking punch and definition.

2)drums bass and vocals are buried as a result of all the above probably.

3) though it may be what your trying to achieve, in which case I should allow your artistic expression, The whole thing sounds to be very overprocessed with effects. That may be your intent in the genre if so, youve achieved an overprocessed sound.


Keep pluggin at it and dont be intimidated by any harsh criticism you may get here. This is a great place to learn and grow and the many different personality types keep it entertaining. If youve watched the American Idol show, you will understand that most of the time the artists really need to hear and learn and benefit from what Simon has to say. In my opinion he's the rudest ,most arrogant and yet the BEST Judge!!!


peace
Bill
 
i don't think what you want to hear from us is what's gonna help you to get signed or to get better skills...

This recording actually sounds pretty decent from a homerecording point of view, but those harsh words came out of the mouths of the professionals, whom you intended to compare yourself to.

I'd say, cut back some ego/attitude, and just keep doing what you do, and then you will really impress people with whatever setup you've got.

Al
 
Mr. Ins@ne said:

Honestly, this is a first demo/release from the band, and it sounds professional enough to me.
Click to expand...

Long before I ever posted any comment or question on any forum here at HRBBS I read through hours and hours of threads. Over time I started finding out who some of the heavy weights here are in pure knowledge of recording. These guys know what they are talking about. Some of them make a living doing this stuff we all love to do. Some come across different than others and may sound arrogant but I look at some that as confidence, again….they know what they are talking about.

Here’s an example of what has taught me and is currently teaching me a lot about recording.
When someone post’s an mp3 to this forum listen to it. Then start reading through the comments made by everyone. I’m starting to really pick up on stuff in mixes that need to be addressed, my hearing for this stuff is really improving AND most importantly it’s helping my own music. I’m getting to the point where I’m actually starting to trust my own ears but it takes work. It’s so easy to be confident of your own material and difficult if someone tells you it’s a piece of shit. The experts here don’t walk around on thin ice, they tell you how they hear it. Learn from it.

I’ve got a friend who is recording but because of financial reasons is not on the net right now. He makes a CD and I’m listening to it and it has a lot problems. He’s proud of his work and he played al lthe instruments and did vocals and he has some good songs but again….there are problems. I’m trying to help him but I’ve got to walk on thin ice with him. I don’t want to step on his ego too much, he’s a friend. Here you get unbiased opinions and it can be tough to deal with. Take the technical aspects of what the guys are saying seriously and go evaluate your recordings. You will learn and you will NEVER stop learning. Both musically and engineering wise there are talented people here and the cool thing is they are more than willing to share their knowledge. Like going to recording school for free!
 
Well, first of all, I do apreciate all comments and all of them are truly welcome. I believe I said here before "I'm not perfect, I just learning, everybody is always learning and so on and so on", so the way I see things, it's a bit unfair to make it look like I'm constantly boasting "I'm the best, I'm the pro, and so on and so on" 'cause I never did in the first place. I guess I also said before this is all made in an amateur platform with almost no equipment. So if "He/she/it" is pro, than he must have a wiser and wider vision over the case for is own "pro" sake. Furthermore, this was my first production ever. I mean, I've been in studio quite a few times with bands, but just as a musician. Learned some stuff it some "studiomasters" but this was the first time I got to aply them, and - I repeat - I had to do it within my (almost none) equipment. So to finish all this "action/re-action" thing, I have to say that:

1 - I do agree with to fact that the mixing is more foccused on the guitars. It was supposed to have strong and loud guitars, but maybe - and I'm now bending to your opinions - not THAT loud.

2 - I believe the guitar sound (tone) is good enough for the kind of global sound SinDRomE wants to have as a band.

3 - I agree once again with the fact that the drums are weak, and I'd like all of you to present solutions to it. I want to stick with the V-drums. How can I make it sound stronger? And - if you're familiar with Roland Td-10 sounds - how do I make the cymbals sound more real?

4 - The reason why I posted in more than one forum was because it was somehow related. I talked about the V-drums in the Drums forum, and about the fact that I only used Sonar, in the Cakewalf forum. Since I'm here to learn, I do not find my opinion relevant to others, 'cause as the pros already tagged me..."I suck and I have a super-ego". So based on that, I should't be giving opinions or I might get people badly elucidated.

5 - I never tried to put myself in the place of a pro, or even ompare myself to the - now known - wisdom of the pros around here. And I now value their opinion more than ever, since they are recognised here by being the best - or near.

6 - I find legitimate to over-rate my work before third parties when I'm - and I assume so - under that "first-ever-selfmade-production-with-almost-no-shit-to-hang-to" euphoria. And even the pros here have made their first production and even if it sucked as much as mine seems to suck, they were proud of it and probably over-rated them as well. No?

I might sound bitter when talking about the pros, and that only happens because I received opinions from all kinds of people and only the pros were so harsh and arrogant. I never was arrogant, I was excited, but them you all helped me to snap back to reallity.

I wish Blue Bear or other pro here could teach me some stuff, honestly, but after all this, I don't have the guts to ask for it. They think I'm idiot already and make all that "He-is-oh-so-stupid-and-self-involved" funny smileys.

I am reasonably satisfied with it, bearing in mind all the equipment I had in my hands and the fact that I played all instruments, but vocals.

Thanks for all the support and help

Rem@in Ins@ne

www.spiralsektor.com

P.s.: By the way, just so that the pros can laugh a bit and make jokes about my country, some Portuguese radio stations are broadcasting some of the songs you heard. I don't think they find it "professional" but they found it at least capable of being broadcast. I like the overall result.
 
I must admit, I kinda like your attitude Mr. Ins@ne...I would have left the board in your situation... :)

I am reasonably satisfied with it, bearing in mind all the equipment I had in my hands and the fact that I played all instruments, but vocals
Click to expand...

Believe me, most of us are. We're all much like alike. Reasonably satisfied solo homorecorders. To change the 'reasonably' to 'totally' we ask each other's opinons. Although we're all striving for a pro sound, we're all quite happy with a semi pro sound also. We really need each other to achieve that goal. Now be a good boy and listen to what the others make. There is really good music around...

> side note

Seems like Mr. Ins@ne found the magic words to lure pros to this board. Unfortunately this thread wasn't very inspiring...

I would love to hear their comments more often (if they're able to say it in a nice and motivating way, that is.... :) ) Why don't they pick a song each month, preferably one with lots a stars (we can take care of the 'starless' songs ourselves), and comment on it. Everyone could learn from it by just reading their comments. We don't need to respond to it (I'm a bit afraid of flamewars, and we don't need that), we can just listen to what they have to say and learn from it (or ignore it, whatever).

What do you guys think?
 
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